BRINGING THE NOISE Built to Spill turn it up at the Met Café on October 2.

As the autumnal equinox fast approaches, there’s plenty of action statewide and no genre left behind from Downcity to down south to the highly-anticipated return of a local live landmark — the Met Café, now located in the Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket. Here’s a glimpse of what’s on tap at some of your favorite live venues across Rhode Island this fall. No excuses — there is literally something for everyone (and everywhere) here.

Rich Lupo and Jack Reich just saved us a few dozen road trips per year with the debut of the reincarnated Met Café (1005 Main Street, Pawtucket, 401.729.1005, themetri.com), a 600-capacity club in Pawtucket (easily located off Route 95) that eliminates the need to drive up to Cambridge and Boston or down to New Haven and Hoboken to catch some of our favorite local and national indie-fringe acts. A killer week of live action begins on September 20 with left-coast breakout duo WAVVES and DIAMOND DOVES for only $12; two local alt-pop acts, FOR THE LOVE OF SLOANE and SHYRNE, visit on September 21; and Latin-salsa-funk specialists SANTA MAMBA will heat up the dance floor on September 24. BUILT TO SPILL is one of the loudest live acts on the planet, and Doug Martsch and friends follow up a three-night run at the Middle East with their Pawtucket debut on Octo-ber 2; !!! arrive on October 5; and we’re counting down the days until THE HOLD STEADY take over on October 24 (their show at Toad’s in New Haven in April was one helluva party). And hang out with Attleboro punk pioneers NEUTRAL NATION, headlining their DVD release party for It’s a Bash! on November 5 ($10 in advance), and reggae/dub/drum-and-bass crew JOHN BROWN'S BODY arrive on November 6.

Close out September at Jerky's Music Hall (71 Richmond Street, Providence, 401.621.2244, jerkysmusichall.com) on the 27th with the crunchy alt-rock of DEAD CONFEDERATE, with Boston’s Mean Creek opening (a 6:30 pm start). A host of punk-ska heavyweights throw down with an all-ages tilt on October 14 with BIG D & THE KIDS TABLE, SENIOR DISCOUNT, TIP THE VAN, and THE BRUNT OF IT. Jerky’s is the undisputed champ for bringing real-deal hip-hop shows to the area, and a monumental lineup arrives October 22 when the Duck Down 15-year anniversary tour blows through, featuring PHAROAHE MONCH, BOOT CAMP CLIK, SMIF-N-WESSUN, KIDZ IN THE HALL, SKYZOO, and the criminally-underrated SEAN PRICE, with DJ EVIL DEE spinning between sets.

We can’t imagine the unholy racket that will be unleashed at Club Hell (73 Richmond Street, Providence, myspace.com/clubhelllive) on September 25 when local metal heroes HOWL tear through cuts from their acclaimed debut Full of Hell, with guests VALIENT THORR and JUNIUS. And how about a hardcore freebie on October 8 with EDDIE & THE LOUVERS, REASON TO FIGHT, and STRENGTH FOR A REASON supporting the legendary MURPHY'S LAW? And did we mention it’s free?!

Rocktober! Lolita Black is back in action! And more!! Last call for BIG RUSH and CHRIS DA GREAT headlining a rap bill at AS220 on THURSDAY (the 30th), followed by the highly-anticipated return of LOLITA BLACK (welcome new vocalist Scarlett Delgado) with Sweden’s SUMA , NYC’s UNEARTHLY TRANCE , and SIN OF ANGELS on FRIDAY (the 1st ).

48 Hour Music Festival at SPACE Gallery, February 19 The third annual 48 Hour Music Festival led off with Charlemagne, a lurching prog-pop unit that offered one of the most indie-friendly sets of the night, sounding a bit like Built to Spill or Dinosaur Jr., but with odd time arrangements.

Off the record? Pity the album. After a half-century of embarrassingly public body issues, our essential rock unit has not entered the new millennium looking very healthy. EPs are way more in vogue, MP3s have intangibility on their side, and 12-inches just sound impressive.

From Lolita Black to Big Rush Human bull rides, anyone? Last call to join the EXTRAORDINARY RENDITION BAND at the Salon (57 Eddy Street, Providence) TONIGHT (Thursday (the 17th), as ERB raises funds for a trip to Austin, TX — with cowboy karaoke, line dancing, and human bull rides on tap ($10 door donation, call 401.865.6330).

Robyn at the State Theatre, January 29 With each of her three 2010 Body Talk EPs armed with a single-of-the-year contender (in the just-slightly-ironic, pop-chart-averse blog-critic sense), it's been hard to ignore Swedish pop star Robyn's status as in indie icon these past 12 months.